Traditional Christmas cake recipe

1. Remove zest from orange and lemon with a fine grater, and squeeze the juices. Put all zest and juice in a bowl with mixed dried fruit and glace cherries. Add the brandy or tea, cover with clingfilm and soak for a minimum of 1 hr or overnight.
2. Grease and line a 20cm cake tin, preferably with a removable base.
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3. Preheat the oven to 150°C, gas 3, fan 130°C.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and black treacle until paler and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating each one in thoroughly before adding the next one. In another bowl, combine the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice and stir to mix thoroughly. Then add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, and fold in gently until thoroughly combined.
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5. Add the soaked fruit and all the juices, plus the nuts if liked. Fold gently together until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Turn the mixture into your prepared cake tin and flatten the surface. Place in the centre of the oven, and bake for 2 hrs or until golden brown and springy to the touch. Use a sharp knife or skewer to test the cake. If there is still wet mixture on the blade, bake for another 20-30 mins. It should come out clean.
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6. When the cake is cooked, cool for an hour in the tin and then turn out onto a wire rack. You can pierce the cake all over with a skewer and add another tbsp brandy to soak in if liked.
7. The cake can be kept wrapped in foil or clingfilm in a tin for up to 2 months. When you are ready to finish the cake, warm the apricot jam to soften, and brush over the whole cake. Dust the work surface with a little icing sugar, and roll out half the marzipan.
8. Cut a 20cm circle drawing round the cake tin as a pattern. Cut out a band of marzipan, again using the side of the tin as a guide.
9. Place the circle on the top, and stick the band around the sides, pressing into place and filling any gaps.
10. If possible, allow the marzipan layer to dry overnight.
11. To make the icing, beat the sifted icing sugar with the egg white and lemon juice until glossy. Spread over the cake with a palette knife, forming soft peaks to look like snow drifts. Decorate with edible silver balls or other decorations.

See more Christmas recipes

How to ice a Christmas cake?

There are many ways you can ice a Christmas cake. For this traditional Christmas cake recipe, you will need icing ingredients, an electric or hand whisk to beat the ingredients together and a palette knife to spread the icing onto the cake. This classic icing is simply egg white, icing sugar and lemon juice, but some recipes use food colouring and other flavourings. Our woodland wreath Christmas cake recipe uses a buttercream instead of icing and marzipan, while our melted snowman cake features ready-to-roll fondant icing that you roll out and drape over the cake. If you don't like icing at all, we have a simple uniced cherry and almond Christmas cake and a nut-free version too.

When to make a Christmas cake?

If you're wondering when to make a Christmas cake, it's good to know you can make it up to 2 months ahead of the holiday season; just wait until nearer Christmas to decorate the cake. Wrap it tightly in clingfilm or foil and store in a tin in a cool, dark place. During this time, you can pierce the cake all over with a skewer and add another tbsp brandy to 'feed the cake', if you like. This cake will also freeze well, undecorated and wrapped well for up to 3 months.

Can you freeze Christmas cake?

Yes, you can freeze this cake, undecorated, for up to 3 months, well wrapped in clingfilm or foil to prevent freezer burn. Allow the cake to thaw slowly and bring it up to room temperature before decorating.

How long does Christmas cake last?

Christmas cake will last around 2 months, undecorated, providing it is stored well in clingfilm or foil and in an airtight container stored in a cool, dark place. Once it's iced, it will last for a few weeks, again providing it's stored correctly.

How to feed a Christmas cake and can you overfeed it?

To feed a Christmas cake, you need to pierce small holes over the top of the cake with a small skewer or cocktail stick, then add 1-2 tbsp of alcohol (such as brandy) into the holes. In our simple Christmas cake, we've used sherry and you can even use fruit juice if you want an alcohol-free option. Yes, you can overfeed the cake and there's a danger of it becoming soggy. Feed the cake after it's first baked and cooled, then no more than every fortnight when it's being stored.

How to marzipan a Christmas cake?

It's easy to marzipan a Christmas cake, particularly if you use a ready-made product. You will need a little warmed jam to ensure the marzipan adheres to the cake, then simply roll out the marzipan, measure how much you need and drape over the cooled cake pressing into any gaps, before icing or decorating. It's a good idea to leave the marzipan-covered cake overnight to let it dry, if time allows. If you're after a nut-free marzipan recipe, we have one using semolina or cornmeal instead of almonds.

How to store Christmas cake?

It's best to store Christmas cake in a cool, dark place and ensure it's double wrapped in clingfilm or foil, then placed in an airtight container. This will ensure air does not get to the cake, which could turn it dry and eventually mouldy. You can also freeze most undecorated Christmas cakes for up to 3 months, again stored well.

How to decorate a Christmas cake?

There are so many ways to decorate a Christmas cake, from a traditional Christmas cake recipe, such as this one that includes a marzipan layer followed by soft icing to resemble snow, to classic fondant icing, which features in our Scandi Christmas cake. If you prefer buttercream, try our striking woodland wreath Christmas cake or our coconut and lime limoncello cake. For decorative toppings, you can go as intricate or as simple as you wish. Try fondant figures for a fun novelty cake or fresh rosemary or cinnamon sticks for a natural, rustic finish – take a look at our Christmas cake decoration ideas.

How long to bake a Christmas cake?

Bake a Christmas cake for at least 2 hours in a low-medium oven. Our traditional Christmas cake recipe requires 2 hours in the oven at 150°C, but may require another 20-30 minutes. Check the cake is done by inserting a sharp knife or skewer – if it comes out clean, the cake is baked. Our gluten-free Christmas cake takes a little longer to bake, but it's important to check on it every 15 minutes or so for the last half-an-hour of the cooking time.

How long to soak fruit for Christmas cake?

Soak fruit for Christmas cake for a minimum of 1 hour, but preferably overnight to allow the fruit to plump up and for the flavours to develop. If you are using ready-made mincemeat, you can skip the soaking step.